


Broken Arrows

by PaladinAlby



Category: The Hobbit RPF
Genre: Bartender!Lee, Biker!Richard, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Flirting, M/M, Pining, Smut, Soul Mate AU, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-09
Updated: 2015-02-07
Packaged: 2018-02-28 19:46:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2744828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaladinAlby/pseuds/PaladinAlby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Title inspired by the song Broken Arrows by Daughtry.</p><p>What happens when a convicted criminal, who is also the leader of one of the most dangerous biker gangs, finds his soul mate in a small town in Texas? What happens when an innocent bartender, who just wanted a calm, relaxed life, tries to deny this man and push away the inner desire to be close to him? Would you like to find out? Then please, do continue reading. Though i do warn the that there will be two fricking adorable little shits being absolutely cute!</p><p>Playlist: http://8tracks.com/cassiehobbit/richlee-soulmate-au</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> Well. Here it is. The start to my new Soul mate AU i have been dying to write :) 
> 
> In this story, it will follow a very in denial Lee and a Pining Richard, trying to give Lee space but also trying to get Lee to see some reason. There are of course, background relationships that will sometimes get some spotlight xD 
> 
> I do hope you enjoy

Soul mates are two people who are destined to be together, where it be female and male, male and male or female and female. Once each person of the bond are born, a marking appears onto their skin. The marking will contain their other half’s first name and the first letter of their last name. The color of the ink it is written in would be the color of their mate’s eyes. The style the name is written in would be a symbol of their personality. How would you know when you meet your soul mate? Simple. Your mark starts to sting once you make eye contact with your other half. It is guaranteed for you to meet their eyes as there is always an urge to look at the other when they are close. 

\---

Lee Grinner Pace is a 23 year old male. He was born on the 25th of March in the year of 1991. When he was born, his soul mate marking was born with him. The marking wrote ‘Richard. A’ designed in big bold letters and light blue ink. Lee lived in Chickasha, Oklahoma until he was 12 then moved to a small town named Greenwood in the middle of Texas. 

His parents’ names are Charlotte and James. His mother works as a school teacher and his father works as an engineer. He also has a sister named Sally and a brother named William. He got along well with his family, they were all very supportive and basically everything you could ever want in a family. All though his mum being a teacher meant he really could never get out of going to school no matter what ever excuse his child like mind could come up with. His mother was big on education whether you use the skills or not, ‘you must learn them’ he was always told. Though Lee couldn’t really mind as he was always a good student. Never got any bad grades, he had good behavior in class and got along with all the other kids greatly. 

When Lee was 19 he finally knew what he wanted to do for a job. He wanted to be a bartender. He enjoyed creating new drinks with the various liquids he could get his hands on. He would always put a name to them and ask his father to try them, who did and absolutely loved them. So when Sir. Ian Mckellen, owner of the local Greenwood bar, offers him a trial run for a job, what can Lee do but accept. The trial went well, Lee was always smiling and talking eagerly to customers and he never got distracted, always getting stuck into making the drinks people would order. He got along great with the other employees Luke, Orlando and Evangeline. So it was guaranteed that Lee would get the job. And by the age of 23, Lee was promoted to being the manager of the bar which he took great pride in. 

\---

Richard Crispin Armitage is a 30 year old male. He was born on the 22nd of August in the year of 1984. Richard was 7 when he got his soul mate marking, the linked, green letters spelling out “Lee. P” on his right shoulder. Richard lived in London for most of his life, until the age of 20 in fact.

His parents’ names are Margaret and John. His mother was a secretary and his father is an engineer. Richard also has a brother named Chris, they got along well but they are not so close now. Throughout school, until college, Richard was a good student. Good attitude and always did his work correctly. Though, in college things started to go downhill for him. He was introduced to alcohol and drugs, those taking over his life. He started being rude to his teachers and never did any work. He was addicted to smoking and eventually got kicked out at the age of 16. 

Of course, his parents did not approve of this. His father made Richard go out and find some jobs, though Richards luck was already out. His parents didn’t understand what went wrong. They eventually kicked Richard out at the age of 18, luckily, Richard had made some older friends who let him stay with them until he got back on his feet to which he was immensely grateful for.

2 years after then, moving to the big city of New York, began the start of The Erebor Gang. This gang consisted of 12 other men who go by the names of Dean O’Gorman, Aidan Turner, Graham McTavish, Adam Brown, Jed Brophy, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Mark Hadlow, Ken Scott, Jon Callen, Peter Hambleton and William Kircher. All of these men had at least two things in common. One, they all got kicked out of school for either poor grades/behavior, addiction to drugs or constantly drunk in school. Two, they were all in love with traveling and motorbikes. So they decided to start a gang together, all of them voting Richard as their leader. Though the gang had a long delay from the road as Richard went to prison at the age of 23 for beating a cop to death. Reason? The cop was harassing a young woman though the court did not accept it as an excuse. Thankfully, Graham being the amazing man he was, got Richard a good lawyer. Richard only got assigned 4 years in prison. 

Since then, The Erebor Gang have been on the road. Of course they would stop in some cities, finding themselves a few jobs to get money but they never lingered in one place too long in fear of getting attached. At this moment, the gang were riding through Texas, Richard saying it would be a nice change for once. Little did him, nor Lee, knew that they were to meet their soul mates very soon.


	2. The beginning of something weird.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang ride into Greenwood. Martin and Benedict don't like the looks of them. Lee is a bit annoyed. The world freezes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is guys! So exciting :3
> 
> I am quite surprised at the feedback of this fic but extremely happy! I hope you enjoy!

Greenwood. Population: 267 people. Greenwood is a fairly small town in the center of Texas, its name given for the extraordinary amounts of nature around it. Surrounding three quarters of the town was a huge, wide forest, it went on for miles. The forest of course has rivers and waterfalls where the town like to go for swimming. The center of town had 1 Bar/Restaurant, 1 bakery, 2 florists, 1 supermarket, 1 massive park, 1 police station, 1 average hospital/dentist, 3 schools (Kindergarten/primary, intermediate, college), 1 mechanic/petrol station, Many houses and apartments, 1 large hotel and of course the city hall and the mayors house. The town were very friendly with each other, everyone knew each others names, they were never rude to one another and they were like one giant happy family. There would be a town party every weekend to celebrate years of peace with each other, the adults conversing and laughing together and the children would run around playing tag. 

The mayor of this town was the one and only Peter Jackson. A kind, gentle man who has kept his people safe for years. The vice mayor was the lovely Cate Blanchet, an angelic woman who could brighten even the saddest of people. And of course the town needed security. The sheriff’s name was Martin Freeman. On the outside, he seemed very serious but on the inside he was a complete softy. His deputy was Benedict Cumberbatch. He was the type of man to make all hearts swoon with delight but to others disappointment but with some happiness within them, he was soul mates with Martin. They didn’t understand it at first, considering the huge difference in each of their attitudes and behaviors. But though they started to accept it when all of them caught the couple in romantic phases such as hand holding, passionate kissing, hugging etc. 

All of this brings us to this day where everyone is just waking up from their slumber and getting ready for their everyday jobs. Lee woke up in a relaxed state of mind. His dog Carl greeted him immediately with licks all over his face, making the man smile and laugh. “Good morning to you too.” The dog stared up at his owner, obviously waiting for Lee to move to get him his breakfast. Lee rolled his eyes at Carl but had a smile planted on his face. The mornings were simple for Lee. Wake up, get Carl and him breakfast, take a luke-warm shower and brush teeth and then head to the bar for another day of work. There was no stresses for him which he was extremely thankful for.

Lee breathed in the fresh morning air as he left the house, Carl trailing behind him. The sun was still in its course of fully rising up into the cloudless sky and the birds were chirping happily to each other. He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and started heading towards the Bar. It was only a fifteen minute walk to the building so Lee didn’t mind. On his way other people would greet him to which he would smile and reply with a good morning. Approaching the entrance to the bar, Lee pulled out his keys to unlock the building, only to find out the shop was already unlocked. He shrugged, walking in with Carl staying outside as it was not allowed for him to be inside. He was greeted with the 4 regular morning customers, drinking a coffee and reading the newspaper. He nodded his hello at all of them to which they nodded back, smiling. Lee spotted Orlando behind the bar, trying to figure out everything. He laughed to himself, Orlando had always wondered how Lee made drinks so fast so he took it upon himself to try and learn. Orlando was a cook, not a bartender, Lee would remind him of this but Orlando would shake his head, claiming that he could learn. Lee strolled over to Orlando, who was busy trying to pour too liquids into the cup without it spilling. Unfortunately for him, it did.

“Orlando, the amount of times you have tried to create a drink is the same number of which I have lived here. 23 times Orlando. Why are you so set on creating a drink?” Orlando glared at him, cleaning up the spilled liquid.

“Because, watching you pour drinks so fast has inspired me to make it a challenge so I’m practicing.” Lee smirked.

“I mean, if you call failing practicing.” Orlando punched him in the shoulder, causing Lee to laugh.

“You can’t fail when you practice.” Lee shrugged, taking his place behind the counter, sorting through the mess Orlando had left him. He placed each liquid in its rightful place, keeping a few out. He turned to see Orlando watching him in fake anger, Lee smiled.

“Would you like to see how it’s done?” Orlando rolled his eyes but nodded. Lee swiftly snatched the bottles up and poured them in at the same time, never once did a dribble of the alcohol land on the bench. Once the glass was full, Lee put the bottles, placing them under the counter for later references. Orlando stared at him in an angry haze, Lee only shrugged, watching one of the customers walk up and ask for the drink he just poured. Lee smiled at them, handing them the drink. 

“I hate you.” Lee raised his eyebrow at his dear friend.

“No you don’t” Orlando let a small smile plant on his face, getting up from the stall and walking to the kitchen. Lee looked outside the windows, brows furrowing. He suddenly had a very unsure feeling in the pit of his stomach. Then, he heard it.

\---

The wind blew on all their faces, the sound of engines running filled their ears and the view of the country side was entrancing their eyes. Neither of them bothered with helmets as they consider themselves “experts” on the motorbike. People would only roll their eyes at them but never question them any further. The gang was spread out across the road. Richard of course at the front, Graham, Dean and Aidan close behind him, behind them was Ken, Jon and Peter and behind them, Jed, James, William, Stephen, Adam and Mark were scattered. They have been on the road for a couple of weeks now, sometimes stopping for a quick drink or to get gas. 

Richard watched as a sign saying “Welcome to Greenwood” flew past them, immediately deciding that it is time for a quick stop and because there was small feeling inside of him telling him to stop. He didn’t even take it into account that they had a stop at least thirty minutes ago. Aidan and Dean looked at each other in concern as they saw their leader give them the sign that they will be stopping. The gang slowed down their bikes as their turn came up, the dirt from the road rising as they drove on to it. As the gang drove into the town, they could see citizens watching them with concern.

\---

Lee watched outside as, what he counted, 13 bikers rode in, brows furrowed and mouth open slightly. The customers were also watching outside, silently whispering to each other in confusion. He felt someone stop beside him, he glanced to see Luke, a dish cloth in hand and a wet glass. Lee watched as the bikers cut their engines and stood from their bikes, each of them scanning the small town quickly. 

“Why the hell would they be doing here?” Luke said in a growl. Lee raised his eyebrows at him.

“You know who they are?” He asked, fully facing Luke now. The shorter man nodded.

“You don’t?” Lee shook his head. “They are The Erebor Gang. One of the most dangerous gangs out there. Their leader went to prison several years ago for brutally murdering a cop.” Lee suddenly felt a shock of fear run over his body. “I just wonder what they’re doing here!” Lee made a noise in agreement, turning his face to look outside again. 

“Maybe they’re just here for some gas, a drink maybe?” Orlando said, suddenly beside them with Evangeline behind him. 

“Or maybe they are here to cause trouble!” Luke spat. Lee was surprised at how angry Luke was about them being here.

“Luke’s right. Wherever they go, so does trouble.” Evangeline added in. Lee started to panic. What if they were here for a drink and walked into the bar? What if they were going o kill someone? Lee didn’t want to think of having to deal with them. 

“Come on guys, back to work.” They all nodded, thinking it would be a good idea to get their minds off of it. 

\---

Richard climbed off of his bike, taking a quick scan of the town. There were average buildings surrounded around them, looking extremely vintage as if they had been there for centuries. He spotted the police station immediately, catching the eyes of what he presumed was the Sheriff. A short fellow with an impressive scowl on his face. Richard smirked in his direction and waved. The Sheriff did not seem amused. Richard chuckled, turning to face his gang.

“Why are we here Richard?” Aidan asked, walking up to him with Dean and Graham trailing behind him. Richard shrugged, thinking of why he actually chose to stop.

“Would it be weird if I said I had an instinct to stop here?” The three men’s faces suddenly lit up, obviously knowing the reason. Richard rolled his eyes at the men. 

“Looks like you will be meeting this Lee fellow.” Graham said smiling, clapping his best friend on the shoulder. Richard smiled back at him. 

“Bout time too! You are getting old!” Dean hit Aidan hard on the shoulder. Richard glared daggers at the Irish lad. Richard looked down, thinking about what would happen if he did meet his soul mate here. Richard didn’t really care for it but being with your soul mate apparently completes you. He would love to know what that feels like.

“Well, I think it’s time we head in for a drink!” All the men cheered, rushing into the bar. Graham raised an eyebrow at Richard. “You coming?” 

“I will join you guys in a minute.” Graham nodded, heading into the bar, stopping to pet the dog who automatically barked at him. Richard chuckled as he could hear the mumbled curses from the older man. He looked up to see not only the Sheriff, but now the Deputy watching him. 

\--- 

Martin observed as the 13 men scanned the town, talking to each other. He caught the eyes of who he guessed was the leader. Martin glowered as the man waved and smiled at him. ‘The bloody Erebor Gang’ he thought to himself ‘what in the world would they be doing here?’ The sound of a creaky door opening and closing told him his Deputy was joining him.

“What’s happening?” Benedict asked his mate, taking in the sight of bikes and men clad in leather, denim and tattoos. 

“It seems, we have the fucking Erebor Gang in our town.” Benedict chuckled at Martins irritation though immediately stopped when watched the gang walk into the bar except one. The man still outside looked up and stared right at them. Benedict knew who he was. He read about him in an old newspaper he found. 

“That’s Richard Armitage. The guy who went to jail for murdering a cop.” Martin nodded, glaring more at the man as he sent them his most innocent smile. “What the hell would he be doing here?” Martin shrugged, turning around and marched in the direction of the Mayors house. Benedict hesitantly followed his mate, not really wanting to leave the gang unwatched.

\---

Lee groaned as he watched the men walk in to the bar, each of them basically shouting their conversation and laughing wildly. They all brought in the smell of strong leather and a terrible stench. One of them walked up to him, slamming money on to the counter. 

“We will all have a pint of beer.” Lee rolled his eyes at the lack of kindness in the man in front of him. He had grey hair, thick eyebrows and an Irish accent. Lee nodded to him, starting to pour the drinks. The men all crowded around one table, grabbing chairs from other tables and sitting next to one another. Lee took note of two men who seemed to be very close to each other, considering one of their arms were around the other. 

Once Lee had finished pouring the drinks, he placed them on a circular tray, stopping Evangeline from grabbing it. She stared at him in confusion. He just shook his head and grabbed the tray himself. He really didn’t want Evangeline going near these men, not when the way they are acting is absolutely dreadful. She nodded, silently thanking him. Lee walked over to the men, placing the tray down. Before he could retreat, he heard one of them give him a comment.

“Well aren’t you gorgeous.” Lee rolled his eyes, starting to walk away before the man said another thing. “How much are ya? Gotta be hundreds with a face like that.” Lee turned around, glaring at the man but before he could say anything, the front door opened. Lee looked up only to freeze. 

There, standing in the doorway of the bar, was a tall man with black hair. He was wearing a black leather jacket, a plain white shirt, dark blue jeans and black boots. The man had bright blue eyes and a beautifully defined jaw line. Lee looked the man in the eyes, noticing the man was staring right back at him. Suddenly, time felt frozen.

\---

Richard finally decided to walk into the bar. Strolling towards the front door, the dog barked at him. Richard only glared it down before swinging the door open. His eyes immediately landed on man near his gang. A beautiful man at that, Richards breath caught in his throat.

The man had short brown hair and light green eyes. He was wearing a black t-shirt, dark jeans and [air of converse. He was tall and lean, looked no older than 25. Richard moved his eyes up to the man’s face, only to find the man staring straight at him. Their eyes met and Richard felt as though time had stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter!! 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are welcome! xx


	3. Should i feel so anxious when i look at you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard and Lee deal with the feelings of seeing each other, the gang doesn't to anything to help and there are three not-so-amused men that walk in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a little bitch to write. Took me longer than i would have hoped for and it's quite short which i am terribly sorry for.

The stinging sensation of Richards mark shot through his body like a lightning bolt, making him shiver in a mixed emotion of pain and pleasure. He felt as though he couldn’t breathe as this man that held his eye contact look liked an angel. No matter how much Richard tried, he could not peel his eyes away from this man. He felt as though that if he were to die at this moment, then he would die happy knowing this man was destined to be his and only his.

Lee gripped his side as it started to sting, telling him he had found his soul mate. He felt a shot of desire run through his body though he was unsure if he wanted it. This man he was bound to by destiny was a criminal and Lee was just a bartender looking for nothing more than innocence in his life. In the corner of his eye he could see the rest of the gang look at each other, faces covered in confusion. Though somehow it dawned on them, the man who flirted with Lee sunk down in his chair, a look of regret pulled over his face. 

The room was filled with silence, the only thing to be heard was the slight gust of wind pushing through the windows. Everyone was at shock. The only thing Lee could think of was ‘what the hell is happening’ and ‘I think I’m going to faint’. 

Lee was pulled out of his thoughts when Luke grabbed his arm, pulling him away from everyone and leading him towards the back of building. Richard suddenly felt possessive as he watched a raven haired man drag his soul mate away. He strode over to his gang, sitting next to Graham and Jed. His shoulder was still stinging, moving a hand to it and rubbing the skin softly to ease the pain. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him, his own head lowered so he was staring at his lap. Silence consumed them all until Aidan spoke up. 

“So, I’m guessing that man was your soul mate?” Richard looked up to lock eyes with him, nodding slightly. “Well, I guess a congratulations is in order!” All the men cheered, Richard giving them a small smile. He suddenly felt nervous, questions filled his head about that man who’s name Richard was sure was Lee. 

\---

Lee barely realized that he was no longer staring at his soul mate but now Luke, who was calling his name to grab his attention. Lee stared him in the eyes, panic extremely visible all over his face. He wasn’t supposed to panic when he met his soul mate, he was supposed to feel overly excited. He did not however feel excitement, he felt confused. His mind telling him to not get involved with that man though his heart said differently. 

“Lee, are you okay?” Luke asked, placing a warm hand of comfort on Lee’s strong shoulder. The taller man nodded, paused and then shook his head, he did not feel okay. Luke walked over to the kitchen sink, grabbing a glass and filling it with the cool liquid. He handed it to Lee who thanked him and drunk a large gulp of water. The chill of it calmed his nerves, making him able to breathe evenly again.

“Out of all the people in the world, I belong with a criminal.” Was the first thing that came out of Lee’s mouth. Luke smiled at him, chuckling. 

“Well, it’s destiny. We can’t choose who we end up with.” Lee rolled his eyes. ‘Screw destiny’ he thought. “Come on, let’s go back out there.”

“I would rather stay here and hide” Lee groaned, not wanting to face the situation at hand. Luke only smiled at him, walking behind the taller man and pushing him towards the door. Lee whined but when they hit the doorway he straitened himself up, telling himself to be mature about this. Luke walked towards the bar in front of him, catching everyone’s attention. Lee caught eyes with Richard again, his heart racing faster as a small smirk raised on Richards lips. Lee dropped his head to the floor, feeling the piercing blue eyes still stare at him. 

Luke glanced at Orlando, signalling for him to ask if they want to order anything. Orlando nodded, striding towards the large group.

“Good morning Gents, would you like to order anything?”

All of them raise their eyebrows at the calm manner of the waiter considering what had just happened. Jed smiled, laughing to himself before he spoke. “I think we will all have a pint of beer, though our dear Richard over there-” Jed nodded towards Richard who glared at him “-will have the cute tall bartender over there.” All of them laughed. Jed had said it loud enough for everyone in the room to hear it. Lee couldn’t help the blush that crawled up his face and to the tip of his ears. He could hear Luke mutter a few threats under his breath.

Though everyone stopped laughing when Richard growled at them, striking a bolt of fear run through their bodies. Orlando rolled his eyes, heading over to the bar, waiting for Luke to make the drinks even though he wasn’t the bartender, they weren’t going to make Lee do it though. 

\---

“Oi, Rich.” Dean called, asking for their leader’s attention. Richard looked up, a cold stare planted on his face. “Why don’t you go talk to him?” Dean asked. Richard tensed a bit. He wanted more than anything to get up and talk to his soul mate but he doubted the other man would want to talk to him. Richard only shrugged, looking up to glance at Lee who was currently talking to the waitress. 

“You scared?” Ken added in, causing Richard to glare hard at him. Ken raised his hands in defense, leaning back in his chair. 

“Why not just go up and order a drink?” James asked. Richard considered it for a few seconds but then shook his head, lowering his head to stare at his denim clad legs. He could hear some frustrated sighs come from his gang, Richard could hardly blame them though. He was being difficult, avoiding something that can’t be avoided for long. 

He shifted in his chair slightly as he saw one of the men behind the bar glaring at him, daring him to go near Lee. Richard moved his stare to the waiter, walking towards them with a tray full of beer, placing the glass cups on to the wooden table. His men groaned in satisfactory at the taste of the cold fresh beer.

As the waiter walked away he saw Aidan turn around to look at the bar. Richard noticed soon that the boys gaze was fully on Lee. Dean noticed this too, leaning over to whisper something in his ear, Aidan only looked at him, a mischievous smirk pulled at his lips. And then, Aidan called out.

“Oi, mister bartender.” Lee shot his head in the mans direction, worry on his face. “What’s your name?” Lee seemed shocked by the question, mouth jerking up and down but nothing coming out. Richard could tell the man was at a loss for words so he spoke for him.

“Lee.” Richard stared at green eyes that locked on to his blue ones. “His name is Lee.” Lee furrowed his thick eyebrows. Richard watched the man’s adams apple bob as he swallowed hard. Richard smirked, loving the knowledge that he made Lee nervous. 

“Alright, Lee, do you know his name?” Aidan asked, curious to know what Lee would say. Lee was silent for a moment, knowing that he had to answer. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the doors to the bar opened. Everyone shifted their eyes to the entry, some citizens gasping but most kept silent.

There stood the Mayor Peter Jackson, the Sheriff Martin Freeman on his right and the Deputy Benedict Cumberbatch on his left. The three pairs of vicious eyes all stared at one thing, or one person to be exact. Richard smiled, feeling their venom filled glares land on him. He looked up, eyes catching with Lee’s. He looked genuinely worried. Richard winked at him before throwing his gaze at the three men in the doorway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Feedback is appreciated! x


	4. Bring no trouble and get no trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Martin, Benedict and Peter meet Richard, Lee is really so done and Lee just wants to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since it's christmas im posting this chapter REALLY early! Meaning i woke up, spent 3 hours writing it and i just decided to post it.

The three men walked slowly but surely toward the biker gang, everyone keeping quiet, scared they would be yelled at. Every one of the bikers seemed to become defensive, all reaching for what surely was fully loaded guns. Richard however, just sat calmly, scanning their every move like a predator watching its prey. The Sheriff caught his gaze, he had the same scowl on his face that Richard saw earlier on. Next was the Deputy, he had no expression what so ever except for a glint in his eyes, making him seem excited on what was happening. Lastly the Mayor, he had a slight smirk on his face, he was also wearing the typical cowboy hat making Richards face scrunch up in disgust. 

By now, the Sheriff, the Deputy and the Mayor were standing in front of the large group, completely calm, well, apart from the Sheriff, he looked as though he could slaughter all of them right now where they sat. The bikers all looked to their leader, asking the silent question of what they should do. Richard only smiled at them, turning his gaze to the Mayor, waiting for him to speak. Instead the man turned towards the bar, looking straight at Lee.

“This men causing any trouble Lee?” Everyone turned to look at him at that moment, making him feel self-conscious. He had to think about it, were they causing him trouble in the standard of what the Mayor meant? Lee didn’t quite know. So he only shook his head causing the Mayor to sigh in delight. He turned back to Richard but Richard didn’t look at him, surprised by the fact that Lee, sweet innocent Lee, defended them. Though, his attention was stolen when the Mayor started to talk.

“Good morning, my name is Peter Jackson, I am the mayor of this town.” He said kindly, not wanting to seem rude as inside his gut was telling him bad things about these guys. 

“I figured.” Richard said in reply, looking him in the eye, a smirk firmly planted on his face. The Mayor did not seem happy with his reply, glaring at him. He could not speak his reply before the Sheriff cut in.  
“Show some respect. This is his town, not yours, so therefore you show him kindness.” He growled. Though Richard did not flinch, only looked at him with bored eyes, infuriating him even more. 

“And who might you be?” The Deputy stepped in, placing a hand on the Sheriffs shoulder, making him calm down immediately. ‘Oh, so their soul mates’ Richard thought. He looked up at the Deputy, pursing his lips in though before shrugging.

“Why would you like to know?” The Deputy did not seem amused by his answer. 

“My name is Benedict Cumberbatch, I am the Deputy. This is Martin Freeman, the Sheriff. Now you introduce yourself so we are even.” Richard raised his eyebrows slightly, turning to Graham and mouthing “Benedict Cumberbatch” with a confused look on his face, causing the other man to snicker. Richard turned back to Benedict, looking him up and down quickly. The man was fairly tall, like himself, black hair, eyes a mixture of blue, green and gold, a face that should be deemed inhuman but rather handsome all the same. Richard sighed, giving up his game of mystery. 

“Richard Armitage.” He smiled a mocking grin at him. Benedict smiled back, nudging Martin, giving him permission to speak. 

“Okay. Seeing as you, Richard Armitage, are a criminal and the leader to, what we have heard, a dangerous gang, I’m going to give a warning. Cause any trouble in the town, we will turn you all in to the people who would love to see you behind bars. That is where the saying comes in, bring no trouble and get no trouble. Understood?” Richard only nodded, not really caring about what the Sheriff had to say. “Good.” 

\---

At the bar Peter sat, nodding at Luke for his usual drink. His eyes landed on Lee, worry clouding them, the lad seemed lost in thought. Lee was currently drying some glasses, slowly rubbing the towel over it and in it. Peter’s eyebrows furrowed. Was Lee lying when he claimed the biker gang had done nothing to cause harm? 

Luke walked back over Peter, passing him his drink with a smile to which Peter thanked him and took a sip of the cool liquid. Luke was still standing in front of him though his gaze was focused on the Erebor gang. 

“Luke?” Peter asked, Luke immediately turned his head to the Mayor, giving him a small smile. “Is everything okay here Luke?”

“What do you mean?” The Welsh man asked, eyebrow raised.

“I mean, have those men caused anyone any harm?” Luke though for a moment before shaking his head.

“No, not that I know of.” Peter sighed.

“Then why does Lee look like he’s uncomfortable in his own skin?” Luke glanced over at his friend, noticing his discomfort. Luke knew what that was about. He leaned in to whisper to Peter.

“That is because Richard Armitage over there is apparently Lee’s soul mate.” Peter had to think for a few seconds, taking in this new information. Once he did, he turned to look at Richard, who was busy talking to one of his men. Peter’s frown turned into a scowl, eyes narrowing, glaring daggers at the man. Out of all the people Lee could have been destined with, it was this man. A school drop out with nothing to his name but his gang and crimes. Peter did not approve of this, Lee deserved better.

\---

Lee greeted Martin and Benedict as they sat down, ordering their regulars. Lee nodded, straight away starting on the drinks. It only took at least 2 minutes to prepare the drinks, Lee passing them with ease to the men. They thanked him, both taking a gulp of the beverage. Lee started wiping the bench down, keeping silent until Martin decided to talk to him.

“And how are you Lee?” Lee looked, pursing his lips in thought. How was he today? He was confused, uncomfortable and miserable. Though he would never actually say that. So he just shrugged.

“I’m good. What about you?” Lee wasn’t stupid, he knew they could see that it was a lie. Though he hoped they wouldn’t ask.

“Terrible. Fucking bikers thinking they own the fucking town.” Lee smirked at Martins use of language. Martin caught the smirk though and was not pleased. “Why the hell are you smiling?”

Lee laughed a little, everyone always loved to cause Martin trouble. Benedict seemed to be smiling too to which Martin elbowed him in the ribs for. Lee’s side started to sting again, he gasped at the sudden pain, gripping his side to calm it down. Benedict and Martin looked confused before it dawned on them seeing as they too had that same sting years ago. 

“Who is it?” Benedict asked. Lee looked him in the eyes before sighing.

“It’s Richard Armitage.” Martin seemed to get angry at this, slamming his fist in the bench in front of him, causing a loud thud. Everyone turned to him in alarm. Martin turned around and glared at Richard who only raised his eyebrow. Everyone at that moment seemed to just know why Martin was angry, choosing not to get involved. 

“Fucking smug bastard.” Martin muttered as Benedict stood up and led Martin towards the exit, before apologizing to Lee at first of course. Though, something happened that made Lee worried.

“Richard, could I speak to you outside please?” Peter asked. Richard sighed, rolling his eyes but nodding. Standing up, he took off his leather jacket before leaving, revealing tattooed arms. Richard glanced at Lee, finding the green eyes scanning the tattoos, making Richard grin. He followed the Mayor out of the exit, the welcoming cool air covering his body. Peter turned to him, a look anger on his face.

“Okay, so you’re going to listen to me. You and Lee being soul mates is a bad thing and for the love of god do I not approve of it. But if it were to ever happen and you just happen to hurt him, I swear I will kill you. Lee is like a son to me, I’ve known him ever since he was born and have taken care of him on more occasions than he knows. Now right here, right now you are going to promise that you won’t hurt Lee if he ever gives in to being your soul mate.” Richard admired the loyalty in Peter, especially if he’s threatening to kill him. Richard smiled at him.

“I admire your loyalty Peter and I promise that if he were to ever give in to mating with me I will not hurt him. Well not unless he’s into that kind of stuff.” Peter snarled at Richard’s hints of having sex with Lee. “Are we done here?” Peter only nodded, walking away and heading towards his house. Richard watched him go, a frown taking over his place. He didn’t like that there was possibility of not having Lee become his. He would have to talk to Lee about it. 

\---

When the clock finally hit 8:00p.m, Lee groaned in happiness, finally being able to kick these drunk men out. Luke, Orlando and Evangeline left an hour ago, all of them said they could stay until closing but Lee only shook his head, telling them to go enjoy the rest of the night. They were all unsure whether they should leave or not but in the end they did, a promise to be in early the next morning.

Lee walked towards the group of men, they all stopped talking and looked at him.

“Oh look, he finally built the courage to walk over to us!” James yelled out, everyone laughing except Richard who glared at him. “What would you like? Richard? We can give you Richard.” Lee rolled his eyes.

“I’m closing up so you all have to leave.” All of them whined, turning to Richard for him to do something but he only shook his head. The men groaned, standing up and walking towards the exit in clumsy, unorganized strides. Richard was the last to leave, giving Lee a quick smile before exiting. Lee sighed, the smile making his heart flutter. 

Lee grabbed his coat after cleaning the tables and stacking the chairs on them. He turned off all the lights and walked out of the building, locking the door behind him. He looked and saw Carl sleeping. He was just about to wake Carl up before someone gripped his shoulders and slammed up against the wall. Lee groaned in pain, looking in front of him to see someone he defiantly didn’t want to talk to right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed!
> 
> Feedback is appreciated! x


	5. Thinking of you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lee and his captor have a small argument where Lee is surprisingly sassy and sarcastic. Martin and Benedict of course get involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took longer than expected o.o.

Lee stared into the now familiar blue eyes of Richard, breathing hard through his nose as Richards hand covered his mouth, making sure he didn’t cry out for help. Adrenaline pulsed through Lee’s body, causing his heart to beat inhumanly fast. Thoughts were running through Lee’s brain like cars racing around a circular track, making him feel dizzy and sick. It was silent except for the exhales and inhales of air from both men. Richard then spoke, Lee staring him straight in the eyes. 

“I’m gonna move my hand but you have to promise to not scream out for help.” Lee could only roll his eyes at the bland request. Instead of nodding his head, he realized how close Richards hand was to his so he decided to quickly move his head, catching Richard by surprise and he sunk his teeth into the rough skin. Richard gasped, ripping his hand away from the attack. He clutched it, feeling blood start to sliver out of the small open wound. He looked up at Lee in shock, meeting a similar gaze. “You bit me!” Richard yelled.

“Well yea! You had your hand over my mouth! I needed to breathe!” Lee shouted back.

“Well you didn’t need to bite me in order to move my hand! I gave you an offer to remove my hand as well!” Lee only sighed and rolled his eyes, obviously not amused by this conversation.

“A very dull offer at that. Now, what do you want?” Lee leaned back against the wall, arms folded in front of his chest.

“What makes you think I want something?” Richard challenged, imitating Lee’s pose.

“I don’t know, you holding me against a wall is a bit of clue of someone wanting something.” Richard smirked, shrugging.

“You know with us being soul mates and all I just thought you and I could talk.” Lee raised his eyebrows.

“Talk? You call holding someone against their own will a gesture of wanting to talk?” Richard laughed.

“Ok yea, that was a bit unnecessary.” Lee looked at him in disbelief.

“Yea, maybe just a bit.” He said in a sarcastic tone.

“Since when did you get all sassy? Earlier on you were all quiet and shy.” Lee glared at him to which Richard smiled back at him.

“It’s night time and I’m tired.” Lee said plainly. There was a moment of silence after. Lee pursed his lips and looked sideways, seeing his dog just stare at them. “Can I go home now?” Before Richard could answer they heard two people talking in grumpy voices. Lee looked up to see Martin and Benedict stomping towards them. Lee heard Richard mutter a small ‘shit’ under his breath. Lee smirked at it before moving back to a frown because wow, he shouldn’t be associating with this man. Yes he may be his soul mate but he was a criminal. He was most likely someone who wouldn’t hesitate to kill someone. 

“What the fuck is going on.” Martin said as he approached them, glaring at Richard. 

“Nothing, we were just talking” Richard replied, sending him a nice smile to which Martin growled. Richard turned to Lee wide eyed. Lee only shook his head at him. 

“Talking really?” Benedict asked, looking at Lee for an answer.

“Well it was more than just talking.” Benedict raised his eyebrows in question, once Lee realized what he had said he quickly explained. “Oh god, not in that way. What happened was Richard held me against the wall, hand over my mouth, I bit his hand making it bleed and then we talked.” Martins mouth was agape, his eyes scrunched up in confusion. Benedict could only let out a small ‘oh’.

“So you assaulted him?” Martin asked. Richard quickly shook his head. “Lee, did he assault you?”

“Well yea but I’m not pressing charges as I did basically assault him too.” Benedict raised his eyebrows at Lee.

“You seem very calm.” Lee only smiled. 

“Okay, then what was the shouting all about? We got told there was shouting.” Benedict asked.

“That was because Lee bit me.” Richard explained, showing the bite mark, covered in his blood, to the two officers. Martin smirked at it, nodding his head at Lee. 

“Right, well we can’t just leave you two so Ben will escort Lee home and I will escort Richard to wherever the hell he is staying.” The two men both nodded, Lee grabbed Carl's leash and headed toward Benedict but not before Carl could snarl at Richard. 

\---

Benedict and Lee both walked in comfortable silence for a few moments, just enjoying the quiet and moon lit sky. Lee found his mind wandering to Richard. What did he actually want to talk about? Did he not see that he wasn’t interested? Was he even not interested? He barely even knew the guy and he felt worried for him. Especially since right now he was stuck with Martin and who knew what Martin was going to do to him. And he would be lying if he said he didn’t find Richard attractive because god damn that man was good looking. Bringing him out of his thoughts, Benedict started to talk.

“Are you okay Lee?” Benedict asked, hands clasped behind his back, standing up straight and taking elegant steps forward. Lee shrugged to himself.

“I’m fine.” He could see Benedict staring at him, looking unconvinced with Lee’s answer. Lee turned to him, giving him a small smile. “I’m fine Benedict.” 

“He didn’t hurt you did he?” Lee chuckled shaking his head.

“No he didn’t.” Benedict nodded, smiling at him.

“Good, just making sure.” Silence consumed them again but Benedict spoke again. “You just seem a little off you know?”

Lee nodded. “Yea I know. I guess it’s this whole soul mate thing.” Benedict let out an ‘ah’. He knew how Lee felt, he himself felt the same with Martin.  
“How are you feeling about it?” He asked. 

“Well in my mind I know I don’t want to associate myself with such a person but my heart is betraying my mind by desiring him.” Benedict nodded, understanding it all.

“It happens. You heart however knows what you need.” Lee sighed, not wanting to hear that answer. “All I’m saying is just give Richard a chance. We don’t really know who he is.” Lee only nodded, not wanting to continue the conversation.

\---

Richard felt uncomfortable as Martin walked beside him. He could practically feel the anger coming off of Martin. He decided to distract himself by thinking of Lee. Richard smiled as he pictured Lee’s face. That was the first real conversation they had together and even though it didn’t go the way Richard wanted it to go, it was still a start. Lee seemed so different from earlier that day though, he seemed confident and extremely sarcastic. Richard smiled, finding it absolutely adorable. Martin seemed to catch him smiling, scoffing at him.

“The hell are you smiling about.” Richard gave it a bit of thought, should he tell the truth or will Martin get mad at him for thinking of Lee.

“Nothing.” He ended up saying. Martin mumbled something under his breath that Richard could not care less to make out. Silence filled the air once again, they were at least five minutes away from the hotel, which Richard was thankful for. 

I sigh of relief left Richard once they walked to the front of the hotel. As Richard was about to walk into the building, Martin stopped him. 

“Did you hurt Lee?” Martin was looking down at the ground, obviously trying to keep in his rage.

“Not that I know of.” Richard replied, just wanting to go to his room and sleep.

“Because if you do, you know I will kill you. Hell anyone here would kill you. We all love and cherish Lee. He’s been through enough pain in his life and we don’t want him going through more.” Richard furrowed his eyebrows.

“What do you mean he’s been through enough pain?” Martin sighed.

“That’s for him to tell you if he should ever want or need to.” Martin said looking Richard straight in the eye. “Come here for a second.” Richard cautiously walked towards Martin, though he wished he hadn’t as Martin punched him square in the jaw. Richard stumbled back, groaning in pain and clutching his jaw. 

“What the fuck was that for?” Martin only shrugged, turning to walk away.

Richard watched him go, wanting nothing more than to follow him and punch him back but then he thought better of it. He walked into the hotel, taking the elevator up to the 4th out of 6 floor. He walked to his door, opening it and shutting the door quietly. He moved to the kitchen, finding ice in the freezer. He wrapped some of the ice in a tea towel and pressed it against his jaw, sighing at the coolness of it. 

After a few minutes of holding the ice there, he threw the make-shift ice pack onto the kitchen counter. He moved to the bedroom, kicking off his shoes and socks. He walked into the bathroom, looking into the mirror. He inspected his jaw, seeing a nasty bruise start to form. Richard sighed a low ‘great’, walking back to the bedroom. He tugged his shirt off, exposing various chest and back tattoos. He pulled his jeans off, leaving him in only boxer briefs. He climbed into the surprisingly comfortable bed. He lay down, arm resting under his head. He turned his head to look out the window, only one thought crossed his mind. One person to specific. 

Lee.

\---

Lee entered his house, watching Carl go straight for his bed and plop down in exhaustion. Lee smiled, feeling exhausted himself. He headed straight for the bathroom, turning on his shower. He stripped out of his clothes and stood under the spray, letting the warm water relax his tense muscles. His mind scanned over all of the events that happened today. The last thought landing on Richard smiling. “No Lee, don’t think about him.” He said to himself, not wanting to give in to his inner desire for the man. That’s what soul mates did to you, made you desire the person at the point when you make eye contact.

He stepped out of the shower after 15 minutes of just thinking and staring into thin air. He toweled himself off quickly, heading to his bedroom. He slipped on some sweat pants and climbed into bed. To his misery, he fell asleep with a tall, handsome, British man in his head.

Richard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> Feedback is appreciated xx


	6. Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard deals with Dean being an idiot. Lee has a mental breakdown. Peter is worried. Lee and Richard have a much needed talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, i am so incredibly sorry for the long delay. Please give your thanks to my beautiful friend (and Richard to my Lee) Becca for writing the first few scenes <3

It was the incessant knocking that roused Richard from his slumber. Blinking bleary eyes, glancing at the window and groaning at the early morning sun shining through the glass. He looked around the room. He would say he was unimpressed with decor of the room, the wallpaper slightly giving way in the corners, the floral pattern made his eyes hurt. There was a single chair in the corner, another horrific floral pattern covering it. The bed he was lying on was an average double, though it felt like a single. Next to the bed was a plain nightstand, seemingly made of oak wood. However, he could hardly be bothered. Being in jail and all, he would consider this a luxury. 

With this in mind, he tried to keep his features cheery, hissing through his teeth as a brief burst of pain blossomed along the expanse of his jaw. “Mother of fuck.” He ground his teeth and licked his lips, adapting to the pain with an almost fondness, finding it as familiar as the back of his hand. Similarly, the rush of anxiety and adrenaline that accompanied his movements to grasp a gun from under his pillow, was a constant. 

With quick strides, Richard crossed the expanse of the room and pressed his face into the oaken door, relying on its use as a makeshift shield against potentially dangerous visitors, and spied through the peep hole. 

A shock of tussled hair, sandy in color, blocked most of his range of vision, the only other visible point of interest being a lean chest, adorned by a graphic tee. He let out a breathless chuckle and lowered the gun, previously pressed into the wood. 

“What’s the password?” Richard asked, his voice carrying clearly through the door and to the men waiting impatiently outside.

The taller of the two shifted his stance, rolling his weight to his left leg and crossing his arms with a huff. 

“It’s let your best buddies in the goddamn door before they bust it down.”

“Correct! Allow me to escort you into my humble abode.” Richard opened the door with an ominous creak and a grand, sweeping hand gesture.

The taller man, now revealed to be the enigmatic and currently unimpressed Aidan Turner, gave a pompous sniff and ran a pale hand through his unkempt curls. 

“You’ve really gone all out on this one.” He drawled.

“Short notice.” Richard said, grimacing.

“You don’t say,” Dean, Aidan’s companion, took shuffling steps forward, inching past Richard in the narrow entrance way. Taking a seat on the bed, he continued, “Speaking of, how did the whole ‘my soulmate thinks I’m an arrogant dick’ situation go?”

Richard gave him a sour look, herding Aidan into the small room and shutting the door with somewhat clumsy movements; his mind occupied with green eyes and flushed cheeks. 

“If you must know, it went just about as well as expected.” He gestured with one hand to his jaw, painted currently, in blues, blacks and shades of plum. His other hand plucking absentmindedly at the peeling wallpaper, picking it to pieces. “The Sheriff wasn’t exactly happy.” He mumbled, biting his lip.

“I see. So what’s the plan? We gonna tie him up and leave him on the train tracks, let you do the whole ‘Rescue the damsel in distress’ thing and- Aidan get down from there,”  
Aidan stopped inspecting the light fixtures and perched on the arm of the chair, giving Dean a, somehow simultaneous, mix of guilt and mischief, conveyed through a series of facial expressions. Dean just shook his head and continued with slightly less vigor.

“And melt his heart? Because I think we, as your accomplices, could wrangle a few free drinks from your hot piece of ass-“ 

Aidan gave him a disapproving scowl and Dean waved a dismissive hand in his general direction.

“Whatever, whatever, you get the message. So, we gonna do this or what?”

The look Richard gave him was answer enough.

‘A new plan, then.’ Dean thought with slight disappointment. 

Silence reigned over the three for several minutes, each man thinking hard, gears turning, eyes squinting in concentration. 

It was shattered suddenly with two short claps, Dean having shot up, taking with him on his unexpected journey to the kitchen bench, a complimentary pad and pen from the nightstand.

“Alright!” He began to scribble madly on the paper, tongue out and eyes shining.

“We’re going to need a cake, two donkeys, and some strippers.” 

\---

06:04am 11/01/15  
Sender: Frank-Lee-Speaking  
Message:  
Freaking out. Can you come over?

06:13am 11/01/15  
Sender: Luke Warm  
Message:  
At 6 in the mrng?

06:16am 11/01/15  
Sender: Frank-Lee-Speaking  
Message:  
Yes.

06:20am 11/01/15  
Sender: Luke Warm  
Message:  
Ugh. Be thr in 10.

06:22am 11/01/15  
Sender: Frank-Lee-Speaking  
Message:  
K. Thanks.

The door slammed shut with an audible bang, a man stepping through it, wearing a scarf and a scowl.

“You know, you’re upset, and I get that, but K’ing me? That was unacceptable.” He said, the scowl, however, lifting somewhat in the face of his Best Friend’s obvious distress. Or rather, in the face of a pillow fort, hastily put together and guarded by Lee, the way a dragon would protect its precious gold. Around 2 meters either way in length, Luke took a second to marvel at the effort that must have gone into the structural masterpiece of cloth and rubber bands. And then another to become concerned over the mental state required to achieve pouring one’s heart and soul into a blanket fort at, presumably, about 5am. 

A muffled huff found its way through the blankets and pillows as Luke clambered awkwardly over the couches, making a beeline for the kitchen.

“Tea?” He asked with a distracted air, sifting through container after container in an effort to find the tea bags. 

The mountain of blankets huffed once more.

“Coffee?” He amended.

The only answer was a slight ruffling of blankets, the motion seemed an affirmative one, if anything.

For a few long minutes the only sound was the low thrum of the kettle. It seemed to have a lot to say, actually, burping bubbles and shaking as it brought itself to boil. Quite the opposite, a stark contrast really, to the fully grown man shielding himself from the world from inside the confines of sheets and hatred. 

He was quite ready to ask Lee, demand really, to exit said confines and explain the situation to him, when the click of the jug sounded through the kitchen. With a bitchy face, he whispered a ‘Do you mind?’ at the offending item and poured its contents into two mugs. After deliberating over the correct way to go about coaxing a wild animal from its cave, he decided on simply wafting the fumes of coffee into the entrance. “C’mon Lee. Out we come.”

A hand darted out from under the covers and latched onto the mug; Luke pulled it back with a chuckle, “Come on.” He said, waving it in the cool air.

And out he came, progress was slow and the conversation was generally one sided, but he was out, settled on the couch, hair frazzled and eyes red, gripping the coffee like it was his lifeline. 

“Lee.”

Lee’s eyes rose from the swirling galaxy of beige's in his coffee.

“Lee. Come on, you weren’t this bad yesterday,” Luke set down his tea and fixed Lee with a burning gaze. “You have to tell me what’s up. I’m not a mind reader.”

Lee sniffed and echoed his movement, depositing his coffee on the end table. Bunching up his sleeve, he wiped his eyes with hurried movements and brought his legs up to his chest. Hugging his knees tighter, he opened his mouth and attempted to explain. Several pathetic noises later, he managed a somewhat coherent sentence. 

“It was supposed to be like fireworks,” He whispered, choking on his own emotions. “He was supposed to be like that.” 

He sniffed once, twice more and let a sarcastic laugh through trembling lips.

“Time was supposed to stop, I was supposed to gasp, look up in wonder and see him. See him. But it’s not him, it’s some man with a criminal record,” He hiccuped before continuing with passion. “A goddamn gang, Luke. Should’ve seen it coming. I tempted Fate so much with this romanticized bullshit.” His voice was steadily rising, a slightly hysterical note coloring it with shades of panic and distress. “I brought this upon myself, I brought him upon myself. And now I’m stuck. And I don’t know what to do!” He batted away Luke’s hands, coming to rest on his, and rose from the plush leather of the couch, seeking comfort in the familiarity of the room. Photos where he left them, familiar faces and places, candles from years back, never lit, just placed. Everything was normal, nothing had changed. And yet, there was something off. His eyes fell upon the blanket fort, and suddenly the comfort it had brought him, the urge to disappear into the folds and never emerge, was gone. In a rush of fear, he ripped the top sheet from the pile and threw it to the side, uncaring of where it landed. This structure was unfamiliar, unwelcome.

He fell to his knees and began tearing at it. It all had to go.

“I can’t be what he wants!” He screamed, batting madly at the pillows.

He sobbed as hands gripped his chest, pulling him from the carnage of his living room. Fighting wildly, like a cornered animal, he clawed at the hands and as soon as the continual sliding motion stopped, as soon they reached the couch once more, he spun in their grip, beating his fists wildly against their chest.

“Lee, please. It’s alright to not be okay. It’s fine. I want to help. Please don’t fight me. We’re okay. We’re okay.” Lee just cried, half-heartedly battling the grip on his body. “Lee! You don’t have to make any decisions. Not now. You’re fine. We’re fine.”

With a final choking sob, Lee fell, limp, into the embrace and clung to him, knees weak and chest wracked with heaving breaths. Luke stumbled a bit under the other man’s sudden concession, letting a soft grunt and numerous sweet nothings grace Lee’s ears. “I’ve got you.” “We’re fine.” “Everything’s fine.” “You’re okay.” “You’re okay.” “You’re okay.”

\---

Aidan grunted, hanging over the back of chair, which at this point was a precarious position, the front legs rising off the ground ever so slightly with every soft rock. Dangling a foot, he pushed against the ground, tipping the chair back and forth slowly. He grunted again when it fell forward. Not that anyone noticed.

Dean was fumbling with a pen lid, pulling desperately at the tip, occasional squeaks escaping his lips when he toppled after pulling too hard, failing to take the lid with him as he wrenched. Richard didn’t seem to be faring any better, face down in the midst of the bed, the only sign of his continued existence being the slow rise and fall of his breath. 

“Guys. Guys, I’ve got it,” Dean spoke up from his spot on the floor. Neither of them moved. “Guys. Seriously. This could be good.”

No response.

“You don’t appreciate my genius.”

Silence.

“And I’m going to tell you anyway. This is a far simpler plan, all we need is a bathtub and some soap.”

\---

After minutes of Lee soaking his shirt in salty liquid, the man started to calm down. All that could be heard was soft breathing and little sniffles. Luke looked over to the clock, it was a few minutes past 7, almost time for them to start heading for work. Luke pulled away slightly, calling for Lee’s attention. The taller man looked up at his best friend, eyes red and puffy, face slightly flushed. Luke smiled sadly at him. 

“Come on, let’s get you into the shower.” Lee nodded, hesitantly standing up. He then saw the mess he had made, making a move to clean it up but Luke stopped him. “No, you are going to go take a shower. I will clean this up.” Lee smiled appreciatively at him, nodding before heading to the bath room. 

He softly closed the door behind him, locking it. Leaning into the shower, he turned it onto a luke-warm temperature. He moved to the sink, looking at himself through the mirror. He was a mess, the reason for it didn’t make him feel any better. Why did he care so much if Richard liked him? Why did he care if he was enough for this criminal? Why couldn’t this just all be simple? Lee sighed at his reflection, turning himself away and ridding himself of every article of clothing on him. He stepped into the shower, leaning his head against the cold tiled wall. 

Back in the living room, Luke was picking up various blankets and pillows and sheets. It hurt to see his best friend in misery, knowing how it must feel himself. Things have happened in his own past that has caused him to feel what Lee was feeling now. He didn’t like to talk about it, then again, who would? Bad pasts aren’t something everyone is fond of talking about. The only person who knows what happened is Lee, and Lee was always there for him. So now, he was going to be there for Lee. 

After placing the bedding back on Lee’s bed, he went to check on Lee. As he walked closer to the bathroom, the pounding of water on the floor became louder. He knocked three times and waited 5 seconds for Lee’s reply which came in sound of the shower turning off. He heard the door unlock and open slightly. 

“You okay now?” Luke asked, tilting his head at his friend. Lee nodded.

“Yea, im fine.” 

“Good to come to work, or?”

“Yea, I will be out in a few minutes.” Luke nodded, walking away to give Lee his privacy.

Lee closed the door again, pulling the towel around his waist off to dry himself. Once he was fully dressed in work appropriate clothing, he headed out into the living room where Luke sat waiting for him. The slightly older man, only by two years, looked up at him, smiling at him.

“Ready?” Lee nodded, grabbing his coat from the hook next to his front door. 

\---

After countless plans that would only end up with them being dead, they decided to give up. Dean was collapsed on the floor, spread out like a gigantic eagle. Aidan was leaning back on the chair, head fallen back in boredom. Richard was sat up on the bed, staring outside the window. 

“How about, you just talk to him?” Dean piped up, leaning up on his elbows. 

“Wow I didn’t know you were actually capable of a good plan Dean.” Aidan mocked, earning himself a glare from the blonde. 

“I tried, look how that turned out.” Richard replied, standing up from the bed. 

“Well it looks like you’re shit out of luck Richie.” Aidan said. Richard growled at him before heading over to the door. Behind him Dean and Aidan scrambled up onto their feet, chasing after Richard. 

\---

“Maybe you should just give him a chance?” Luke said to his friend. Lee had been complaining about what he should do if he saw Richard. “As much as I don’t like him myself, he could actually be a nice guy.” He could feel Lee’s glare burning into the side of his face. 

“Please, since when was criminals ‘nice’?” Luke smiled at this. 

“Well you’ll never know unless you give him a chance.” Lee rolled his eyes, looking forward. They were at least one minute away from the bar, which Lee was grateful for. They spent the rest of their way there in silence, mentally preparing themselves for what the day has to come. 

Standing in front of the bar was Peter, hands in the pockets of his brown trousers. Luke smiled and nodded at him before heading into the building. Lee attempted to do the same thing but was stopped by a hand on his chest. Lee raised his eyes at Peter, a silent question of ‘what the hell are you doing’. 

“I need to talk to you.” Lee sighed, knowing what this was most likely about. Martin and Benedict always had to report to Peter about what has been happening in the town, so he was guessing they told him about what happened the night before. So, he stood straight in front of Peter, preparing for the conversation that was about to happen. “Martin told me about what happened last night. I need you to be honest with me Lee, did he hurt you?”

“No he did not hurt me.” Lee said, staring Peter in the eyes. Don’t get him wrong, he loves Peter like a father, however, he didn’t enjoy these types of talks with Peter. He felt uncomfortable talking about it really. 

“You sure?” Lee sighed.

“Yes, I am sure that Richard did not hurt me.” He found himself becoming fond of the way Richards name rolled off of his tongue, however he pushed those feelings back. 

“Okay, just making sure. I’m just looking out for you Lee.” Lee smiled appreciatively, knowing that was his only intention right now. Peter placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, squeezing slightly with a small smile on his face. Before anything more could be said, five men decided to make their entrance. Peter walked past time, snarling at them before walking towards the police station. Lee walked into the bar, holding the door open for the men. They nodded their thanks to him, heading towards the table they sat at the day before. Richard was the last to enter, smiling at Lee. Lee smiled back but it quickly turned into a slight frown once he caught sight of the dark bruise placed upon Richards jaw. ‘Wonder what caused that’ he thought to himself. 

Lee walked to his place behind the bar but not before asking the five men if they wanted anything to drink. As Lee predicted, they all asked for a pint of beer, to which Lee nodded, heading over to his work station. He gave a small smile of greeting towards Orlando and Evangeline, they nodded at him before returning to helping some customers. 

After Lee had poured the drinks and placed them on the table, walking over to the bar and cleaning it, he could not help but overhear the conversation the men were having. 

\---

“So how did you get the bruise there Richie?” James asked, picking up his beer and taking a large swig from it. Richard glared at the nickname. 

“Got hit last night.” He said back which caused Graham to stare at Richard in disbelief. 

“What, did that Lee guy sock you in the jaw?” James snickered at that, imagining the might Richard Armitage being punched in the face by the innocent bartender. 

“Wh- no! The Sheriff did!” Richard said back. Both Graham and James mouthed an ‘oh’. Richard glared at both of them, leaning back in his chair, hiding his anger behind the large glass of beer. 

\---

Lee stood behind the bar in shock. Martin punched Richard in the jaw? But why? Well that could answered with easily, I mean, it was Martin after all. Lee suddenly felt a feeling form in the pit of his stomach. A feeling that had him wanting to storm over to Martin and yell at him. Lee didn’t want to feel this way, honestly he shouldn’t. But he couldn’t help it, he felt the desire to be close to his soul mate grow stronger. It was only a matter of time before he actually gave in and that is what scared him the most.

Deep in thought, Lee did not notice Richard saying goodbye to his friends and then walking over to Lee that is until Richard snapped his fingers in front of Lees face causing the man to jump in surprise. Richard smirked at him, enjoying Lee’s sudden confusion. Lee’s face heated up in embarrassment, smiling shyly back at Richard. Lee then noticed the empty glass in Richards hand.

“Would you like a top up?” Richard nodded gratefully, muttering a small thank you. Lee quickly refilled the glass, sliding it back over to the man. Lee watched as Richard took a large gulp of the liquid, eyes moving down to Richards neck, watching his Adams apple bob as he swallowed. He snapped out of his staring when Richard placed his drink back down.

“Hey, I just wanted to say sorry about last night. It was completely inappropriate of me to do that to you.” Lee only shrugged and smiled at him.

“No harm done. I guess I should sorry for uh biting you.” Richard sniggered at that, still in amazement that Lee bit him. “Last night, you said you wanted to talk. What about?” Richard pursed his lips, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“I wanted to talk about what you think about us being soul mates.” Lee nodded, throwing the tea towel in his hand over his shoulder, leaning his hands on the now spotless bench.

“Honestly, it’s not what I expected. The only thing I know about you is that you are a criminal and that sounds like something I would never wish to get involved with. Quite honestly, I don’t know what I want to happen between us.” Lee said all this without taking a single breath. Richard was staring at him intently, processing what had just been said. 

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Okay.” Lee stood there confused by this one word answer. 

“And by okay you mean?”

“I mean that I’m not going to force you into anything though I will be attempting to change your mind.” Lee opened his mouth slightly, then closed it, opened it again then closed it again. Then he realised that he couldn’t really do anything about so he only shrugged. Richard gave him a smile to which Lee smiled back.

This was going to be a long couple of week for Lee.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed!!! Sorry for any mistakes feel free to point them out! By my calculations the Richlee should be beginning soon xD


	7. You have 2 days.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard and Lee make a deal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHHHHAAAAAT? SHE UPDATED AFTER 10 HOURS FROM HER LAST UPDATE? IS SHE MAD? IS HE INSANE? IS SHE CRAZY? OR DOES SHE JUST HAVE HER MOJO BACK AND IS FEELING EXTREMELY GENEROUS? I THINK ITS THE LAST ONE :3
> 
> I AM ON A ROLL GUYS! LETS HOPE I UPDATE THIS A LOT CAUSE IM WRITING CHAPTER AFTER CHAPTER AND GOD I JUST WANT TO SHARE THE RICHLEE WITH YOU! 
> 
> This is a very small but needed chapter! x
> 
> And uh something 'interesting' happens in this chapter ;)

It has been a little over three weeks since The Erebor Gang rolled into Greenwood, and let me tell you that those three weeks have been a little bit of a ride. 

The first week consisted of harmless flirting on Richards part and furious blushing on Lee’s part. Richard wouldn’t say he was sorry for causing it because in all honesty he wasn’t sorry, he enjoyed watching the man go all shy and innocent when really, he is completely sassy and sarcastic. Not that Richard is complaining, he liked that side of Lee. Hell, he liked every side of Lee. 

If Lee was being honest, and he had to be or else he was going to have another mental breakdown, he quite liked Richards company. Throughout the past week he had seen another side of Richard he thought wouldn’t be there. Richard was kind, talkative and a bloody flirt. Constantly he would shower Lee in compliments which made butterflies swarm in his stomach, it was a nice feeling Lee had to admit. And Lee would be lying if he said he didn’t pick up on the occasional sexual innuendo that slipped out of Richards mouth, causing the younger man to blush furiously and grow shy. 

The second week consisted of Richard staying at the bar until closing time just to talk to Lee. He enjoyed their conversations immensely, how Lee spoke with such ease about certain aspects of his life which the American claimed was “boring”. Richard was surprised at himself for being so open too, it just felt right to talk to Lee. Richard would of course focus on the way Lee laughed, the smile wide and toothy (he had great teeth), the sound deep and relaxing. He would focus on how Lee reacted to certain things, how when you mentioned his profession he would shower you in facts, how when you mention even the word “past” Lee would space out, obviously not wanting to talk about something in his past. That raised the question of what did happen in his past, Richard remembered how Martin mentioned it briefly to him, but he had not asked Lee in fear he was being too nosey. 

The third week consisted of absolute fun. Martin had seemingly warmed up to everyone, he went as far as challenging James to a drink off (which James unsurprisingly won as Martin passed out). Peter was still cautious but had relaxed around the men. Everything was going well, however in this week Lee seemed more distant. No one asked him if he was okay but that didn’t seem to bother Lee. Richard noticed the slight touches of comfort coming from Lee’s friends to which the man just smiled softly at them. Richard couldn’t help the feeling of wanting to protect Lee, he wanted to shower the man in comfort until Lee was wearing a real smile. 

This all led them to this day, a very bright day at that, where everyone was gathered in the bar, laughing and dancing at such an early hour. Lee was watching, from where he stood behind the bar, an arm wrestle between Orlando and Aidan. They both had equal strength but Aidan ended up winning, causing Orlando to groan in frustration. He felt an elbow nudge his side, turning his head to see Luke smiling at him, Lee smiled back. 

“You should challenge Aidan to an arm wrestle.” Lee raised his eyebrows at that, giving it a quick thought but then shrugged. “You should! You beat Orlando easily so I bet you could beat Aidan.” To Lee’s misfortune, Dean had heard Luke say this. 

“You really willing to bet that?” Luke smirked at Dean.

“Hell yea. Lee maybe tall and lanky but man is he strong.” Lee stared at his friend in disbelief. 

“Thanks Luke.” He said sarcastically to which the man just smirked. Dean was slightly nodding.

“Alright. 50 says you’re wrong.” Luke agreed to this. “Aidan, you have a new challenger.” Everyone seemed surprised when Dean pointed at Lee but Aidan smiled. 

“Alright. Please, take your seat.” Aidan motioned to the chair at the table he and Orlando were using. Lee shrugged, ‘fuck it’ he thought to himself. He walked over to the table, sitting himself down and getting ready. Aidan sat down in front of him, placing his elbow on the table, pushing out his other hand for Lee to grab. Lee did the same, his grip strong and determined. Aidan’s face turned into one of shock. “You’ve got a strong grip.” Lee smiled. 

“Ready boys?” James said, they both nodded. “Alright, 3, 2, 1, go!” Both men started to push at the others hand, both hands white from how hard they were gripping. Aidan started getting the upper hand until Lee found more strength pushing Aidan's hand back. It didn’t stop however, Lee kept pushing until Aidan growled in frustration, his strength giving up so Lee slammed his hand into the table. Luke, Orlando and Evangeline cheered. Lee smiled, leaning back in his chair. “Damn laddie, can’t believe you lost to a bartender.” Aidan glared up at James to which he smirked back, throwing his hand out to high five Lee to which the man did. In the corner of Lee’s eye he saw Dean pay Luke. He snickered to himself.

Lee moved back to the bar where Luke was happily tucking away the $50 he won. Lee shook his head at his friend but couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on his face. Luke looked up at him. 

“Wow, never thought we would see that smile again.” Lee raised his eyebrows. Luke sighed, leaning against the counter. “Don’t look at me like that, I know you know you have been happier.” 

“What are you on about?” 

“I’m meaning that your smile is finally genuine. Not fake for once. And I know exactly who has been making you happier and I’m glad you are giving him a chance.” Luke left before Lee could say anything, leaving a now deep in thought Lee to stand and think about what exactly Luke meant.

\---

“God damn he’s strong.” Aidan said, shaking his now stiff hand out to relax it. Richard has been smirking the whole time, getting a glare from Aidan. 

“I gotta say, I did not expect Lee to win.” Jed said, sitting next to Aidan. Aidan sighed in irritation. 

“I want a re match.” He grumbled. Dean hit him in the arm causing Aidan to look at him in shock. “The hell was that for?”

“You losing cost me $50, that’s what that was for.” Dean said but then threw an arm around a sulking Aidan’s shoulders, pulling his mate close to soothe the pain. Richard couldn’t help but laugh at the two.   
“Anyways we really have to talk about we are doing. Now don’t get me wrong, I like this town, but honestly we have been here longer than we have in any other town. We all know why so Rich when are you going to make your move?” Graham said, staring his best friend in the eyes. Richard knew that question would come up soon. He already knew what he was going to do. 

“M’gonna talk to him today. I promise we will be here for another 2 days, if nothing happens by then, then we can leave. But if something does happen, then I don’t know.” All of them nodded, not saying anything further. 

It was a few hours later when Richard finally gathered up the courage to go talk to Lee. 

“Lee can I uh talk to you in private? Outside?” Lee nodded, walking out from behind the bar to the entrance. Once outside Lee crossed his arms, leaning against the wall. 

“What do you want to talk about?” Richard took a shaky breath. He suddenly felt extremely nervous. 

“Well, I and my men have been here for a little over three weeks and that’s much longer than we have with any other place so we have decided that we are going to be leaving in two days. I wanted to propose a deal between you and me.” Lee was suddenly very close to him now, eyebrows raised. “Now I don’t know what you feel towards me but I know for sure that I want to be with you. So what I’m trying to say is that you need to make a decision. By the end of these two days, if you haven’t come to me by then, I will leave and won’t come back.” 

It took some time for Lee to process this and when he did, he felt his heart sink. He hadn’t really given his feelings for Richard much thought. He didn’t know what he wanted from Richard. And the offer Richard was making him made him feel anxious. 

“O-ok. Yea, I um, will give it some thought.” He didn’t know if that was the right thing to say but it was enough to get Richard to smile. 

“Good.” Richard went to go walk into the bar again but then stopped. “Lee.” Lee turned to him “can I give you something to help you think everything over?” Lee raised a curious eyebrow, nodding. Then Richard did the unexpected.

He surged forward and kissed Lee, hands cupping each side of Lee’s face to hold him there. Lee didn’t respond to the kiss but Richard expected that. He felt sparks fly in his body, mind going dizzy at the feel of the other man’s lips. Once Richard pulled away, Lee was staring shocked at Richard but the older man just smiled at him before walking back into the bar. 

That was definitely something Lee was going to be thinking about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RICHLEE KISS! Told the Richlee would be happening soon :3 
> 
> Thanks again for reading! Means a hell of a lot xxxx


	8. Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit goes down. That is all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well aint this a bitch to write. OH AND LOOK, SCHOOL IS BACK TO RUIN MY SANITY! YIPPIE FOR ME! 
> 
> This is short and rushed. Lots of angst BUT I PROMISE IT WILL ALL GET BETTER IN A FEW MORE CHAPTERS!

It was the next morning that Lee finally registered what had been said the day before. He sprung up in bed, eyes wide and his breathing heavy. Richard had said that he and his gang were leaving in two days, giving Lee only two days to figure out his feelings. And that was the question, what did he feel for the man? If anything, he was sure he didn't want Richard to leave. And that kiss, the kiss had his knees going weak and his head going dizzy. He would be lying if he said he didn't want more kisses from Richard, the feel of their lips together just felt so right. Richard was perfect. Lee placed his head in his hands, sighing loudly, what has this man done to him? With only a quick little think of it, Lee decided he wasn't going to go into work today. He need time alone to think, and this was the only way. 

Lee moved to the side of the bed, grabbing his cell phone from the nightstand. He clicked on Luke's name and clicked dial. He lifted the phone up to his ear, three rings went by until Luke picked up. 

"Hello?"

"Hey Luke, it's Lee."

"Oh hey, what's up?"

"I’m uh not going to be coming into work today."

"Oh, why not? You okay?"

"I'm fine i just feel a little bit sick."

"Okay. Hope you feel better then."

"Yea, thanks. See ya."

"Bye."

Lee hung the phone, throwing it onto the bed. It was pathetic really, skipping work just to think about if you have feelings for someone, but he couldn't be around anyone right now. Everything was so confusing to him, it was all supposed to be simple but it's not. Lee gave another sigh before standing up and heading for the kitchen. He greeted and a slightly awake Carl before flicking the jug on. He put the coffee and sugar into a mug and lent back against the counter, arms folded in front of his chest. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him, never blinking once. He shook himself out of his daze when he heard the jug finish up, grabbing it and pouring just the right amount of water into his coffee. He stirred it a few times before grabbing the milk and pouring some in, stirring it again and then letting it sit to cool down, he really didn’t fancy having a burnt mouth.

He turned his head to look outside the window, seeing rain clouds cover the sky, he frowned, turning to face Carl who was now sitting in front of his food bowl. He knelt down and started patting the dog, scratching behind his ear. 

“Well Carl, looks like it’s going to be a shit day.”

\---

It was just turning 10 past 11, the gang were at their usual table, some still in bed to which Richard rolled his eyes but left them. Everything seemed completely normal except for one person missing, Lee.  
“Hey Luke!” Aidan called, the man looked up, towel in his hand as he was currently wiping down the bar. “Where’s Lee?” The question caused a few confused ‘yea’s to leave some mouths. Richard however, just looked at Luke who locked eyes with him. Then, Luke narrowed his eyes and went back to wiping the bar down. Some men looked at Richard, eyebrows raised in confusion. Richard ignored them, his arms folded in front of his chest, eyes darting down to stare at his lap. 

“Maybe you should be asking your ‘leader’ that question!” Orlando then spat, snarling at Richard who whipped his head up, eyes narrowing. “You were the last one to talk to him! What did you say to him? Huh? Or did you try and force him into something he didn’t want? Wouldn’t be surprised seeing as you have a long history of that.” Graham sprang up from his chair, growling at Orlando to back off. Orlando stood his ground, hands forming into fists, knuckles turning white.

“You have no fucking right to say that about Richard. If anything, he is the greatest man I know! So shut your god damn mouth or I will shut it for you!” Graham shouted, eyes wide and wild. Orlando only snarled at him. 

“Oh please! He is far from being a good guy!” Aidan now stood up, walking forward so he was in front of Orlando.

“You don’t know a thing about Richard! So, as Graham said, shut your god damn mouth!” Aidan hissed. Then a hand was placed on his shoulder, squeezing slightly. Aidan turned to see Richard slightly smiling at him. This seemed to calm Aidan down, the Irishman moving back to his seat and sitting down, letting Dean wrap an arm around his shoulders in comfort.

Richard stood in front of Orlando, the man scowling at him. Richard swallowed roughly. “You want to know what I said to him. I said that I and my gang will be leaving in two days. I told him that I wouldn’t want this to be the end of me and him. I told him that if he didn’t come to me before the two days was up, then I would leave and never come back. Which by the way is going to hurt a lot as I know already that I love him.” Orlando stood there, shocked, mouth a gap. “So no, I didn’t force him into anything he didn’t want. I would never do that!”

And then Orlando spoke, voice harsh. “You really think that he would go to you? YOU? He could have anyone he wanted! So why would he choose a low life like you!” 

“You think I don’t know that? I do know that he could have anyone! I know that I will never be good enough for him! But who would I be if I didn’t try right?” Orlando growled at this, he stormed over to the entrance of the building grabbing his coat.

“Orlando, where are you going?” Luke sighed out.

“I’m going to go see Lee.” Orlando snapped, storming out of the bar. Everyone was left in an awkward silence. 

“You alright to watch the bar?” Luke asked Evangeline who smiled and nodded.

“Go make sure Lee is okay.” Luke nodded, jogging out of the building and towards Orlando. 

“Orlando, what are you doing?”

“I told you already, going to go see Lee.”

“And say what?”

“To not go with Richard!” 

“And you’re sure he’s going to listen to you?! You don’t control his life Orlando! And by doing this, you will only make it worse!”

“We’ll see about that!” Luke sighed, knowing this was not going to end well.

\---

Lee had just gotten changed from having a shower when there was a heavy knock on his door. He strode over the door, still rubbing his wet hair with a towel. He opened his door, only for someone to push it open out of his grip. He stared shocked into the eyes of Orlando, who looked extremely pissed. Lee looked at Luke who was behind Orlando, Luke looked apologetic. 

“What are you doing!?” Orlando snapped, stomping into the house. Lee looked at Luke in surprise and then turned to Orlando.

“Uh, drying my hair?” Lee said, shoulders up in an incomplete shrug. Orlando glared at him.

“No, what are you doing about Richard?” Lee’s mouth formed an ‘O’ shape. He walked over to his couch, sitting on the arm of it.

“I am currently thinking.” Orlando rolled his eyes at Lee’s unhelpful answers. 

“You are actually thinking about it? ARE YOU SERIOUS! HE’S A CRIMINAL LEE!” Orlando yelled, looking at Lee in disbelief. Lee sighed, already having enough of this attitude.

“Yes I am actually thinking about it. Why? BECAUSE HE’S MY SOUL MATE! BECAUSE IF HE LEAVES THEN NOTHING IS GOING TO BE THE SAME FOR ME!” Lee yelled back. Orlando just stared at him, mouth open but nothing coming out. “Tell me something Orlando, what would you do if this Evangeline? Huh? You wouldn’t want to part with her! So please Orlando enlighten me on why you are allowed to live happily with your soul mate but I’m not!” Lee was on the verge of tears now. Luke could see this since he placed a hand on Orlando’s chest, telling him to back off. Orlando sighed, turning to leave the house.

Lee slumped down, head hanging low. 

“Lee?” Lee looked up at Luke, eyes red from holding back tears. “Lee don’t listen to him. Do what you what you think is right.” Lee nodded.

“I just, I don’t know what’s right! I know that I can’t let Richard leave but I don’t know if I want to be with him.” Luke walked forward, wrapping his arms around Lee. The taller man sobbed into his chest, letting out all the locked up emotions.

“It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.” Luke reassured, rubbing soothing circles into Lee’s back. All Lee could think was that he hoped Luke was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh Richard, you love Lee yea? GOOD ON YA. WHO WOULDN'T! 
> 
> Ugh i feel bad for how short this is ._. thank you all for being so patient with me <3 
> 
> I thank the for reading :3 i have a long weekend coming up so LETS HOPE that i can get one or two chapters out xD
> 
> x


	9. Night 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orlando is still angry. Graham is a wise old fuck. Richard and Lee have a talk, i mean, if you can really call it that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So im gonna warn you now THIS IS SAD. IT IS SO SAD I CRIED WHILE WRITING IT. IM SORRY. SOPRT OF. NOT REALLY. OKAY, IM NOT!
> 
> short chapter again but WE ACTUALLY HAVE TWO MORE CHAPTERS TO GO :3

After a few hours of cheering Lee up, Luke finally said his goodbye, leaving Lee with a tight hug and a promise to check on him on the morrow. The sun had just set when he got back to the bar, walking in to see Orlando and Evangeline cleaning up. Evangeline looked at him and smiled, wiping down tables. Orlando didn’t acknowledge him, leaning over the sink, cleaning some glasses. Luke wouldn’t have it however, he made Lee upset, he wasn’t just going to stand by and let that happen without consequences. Luke walked up to Orlando, clearing his throat to get the man’s attention. Orlando slumped his shoulders, turning his head to look at Luke. 

“Why?” Luke started.

“Why what?”

“Why did you have to go and make Lee more upset than he already is?” Orlando stood up straight, head falling back to stare at the ceiling. 

“Because I was scared he was going to make the wrong decision.” Luke scoffed at him.

“And what is the wrong decision? How are you sure that if he chose to be with Richard, that it would end up bad? How are so sure of this?”

“Why are you even sticking up for Richard? Why do you want Lee to waste his precious life with him?” Orlando spat, throwing the dish towel to the side and turning so he was face to face with Luke. 

“Because I care about Lee! All I want is for Lee to be happy and by the way everything has turned out, Richard seems to be doing the trick.” Orlando groaned, pushing past Luke and grabbing his jacket. 

“Why can’t none of you see that Richard is a bad guy?” Orlando yelled.

“Why can’t you see that he’s making Lee happier?” Evangeline cut in, staring in disbelief at her soul mate. “I thought you would be glad that Lee is happy! He’s happier than he’s been in years! And you’re only making him worse by saying all this!” Orlando, now staring at the floor, said nothing in reply. He only shook his head and left the bar. Luke and Evangeline stood in silence, minds racing with what just happened. Evangeline turned to Luke, who smiled slightly. “He will come around.”

Luke raised his eyebrows and then dropped them quickly. “Let’s hope.”

\---

Richard and Graham were both sitting outside the hotel, watching the night get darker and darker by the minute. 

“So, you love him.” Graham spoke up, taking a long puff of his cigarette, blowing the smoke out slowly, turning and raising an eyebrow at his best friend. Richard didn’t turn to face him, only kept looking straight forward into the town. 

“Yup.” Richard said plainly, not really wanting to talk about it. 

“Does he know?” Graham asked.

“Nope.”

“You gonna tell him?”

“Not unless he comes to me before we leave.”

“Are you gonna be okay?”

“Nope.” Graham sighed at that, standing up. Richard watched him stand, eyebrows raised In curiosity. 

“Do you know what you’re gonna do?” Richard shook his head. “You are gonna go to Lee now, you are going to confess to him.” Richard sighed, standing up, planning to argue back but the look on his best friends face told him not to. After a long moment of thinking, Richard gave up and nodded. Graham smiled, patting his shoulder. “Good, now go!” Richard rolled his eyes but left in the direction of Lee’s house. 

\---

Lee was curled up on his couch when a knock filled his ears. He narrowed his eyes at the door, not really wanting company. However, he stood from his couch, walking lazily to the door. He unlocked the door and swung it open, surprised to find Richard standing on the other side. Richard smiled softly at him, making Lee’s heart flutter. 

“Can I uh come in?” Lee nodded almost immediately, suddenly realizing this was the first time he had Richard in his house. There were nights where Richard walked him home, just to talk that little bit more, but he had never let the biker into his house. Lee smiled as Richard stepped in and closed the door softly. 

“So what brings you here at this time of night?” Lee asked, glancing over to his clock which read 10:47p.m. Richard shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. He looked nervous to which Lee was now curious.  
“Okay um, gosh I don’t know why I’m so nervous but uh here it goes. I-“he cut himself off, his heart beating rapidly with the anticipation of what he was about to say. ‘Fuck it’ he thought to himself ‘now or never’. “I love you Lee. I have since the first time I saw you. You are just so fucking amazing, such a lively person, so kind and beautiful, someone who deserves way better than me.” Richard laughed bitterly after saying this, remembering Orlando’s outburst. “I know that you will most likely never feel the same, but I had to tell you. I had to tell you before I left. I love you.” 

Lee stood shocked, mouth slightly agape and mind slowly processing what Richard had just said. H-he loved him? Richard Armitage loved him? The man who has been said to hate everything and everyone except his gang, loved him. Lee? Was this a joke? Lee couldn’t speak, his heart racing with feelings, mind pounding, searching for something to say. But he couldn’t say anything and he could see the panic in Richards eyes, he wanted nothing but to soothe the man but he just couldn’t. 

“I-“Lee choked on his own words, trying to find the right thing to say. “I th-think you should leave.” It was the only thing he could say. It was the only thing that would give him more time to think. He saw the pain and sadness flash through Richards eyes. Lee hung his head low, not wanting witness the man’s misery anymore. But Richard seemed to understand even though his heart had sunk to the bottom of his chest.   
“J-just think about it yea? I do love you Lee, a lot.” Richard choked out and Lee just wanted to hug the man, make him feel better but he couldn’t, he wasn’t sure yet. 

“Ye-yea.” Lee looked up at Richard, noticing the redness of his eyes, undoubtedly from holding in tears. And with one final look, Richard left, softly shutting the door behind him. Then Lee was at the door, hand clasped around the handle, forehead leaning against the wood, tears streaming down his face. His heart hurt from seeing his soul mate sad. He started to silently sob.

A few meters away from Lee’s house now, Richard stood, tears streaming down his face. He felt broken, finally knowing that Lee won’t choose him. But he couldn’t give up hope, so he lifted a hand to his face, wiping away his tears and then shoving his hand into his pocket again. 

He just hoped everything would turn out alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My heart hurts, EXPECT THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS TO BE UP BY SUNDAY! I HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW XD
> 
> Thanks again for reading! x


	10. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lee has a realization!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK THIS ONE IS EVEN SHORTER BUT I CAN PROMISE YOU THE NEXT WILL BE LONGER!!!! EXTREMELY LONGER! THIS ONE IS JUST A FILLER INNER TO LEAD UP TO THE NEXT BIG EVENT THAT WILL HAPPEN!
> 
> NEXT CHAPTER SHOULD BE POSTED TOMORROW!

Richards eyes opened, the first sight greeting him was the ceiling. He blinked a few times, trying to rid the sleep from his eyes. He turned his head the clock placed on the nightstand, reading the numbers and sighing, it was 12 in the afternoon. He didn’t know when he got to sleep last night though he knew it was extremely late. The tired man sat up, drawing his knees up slightly, placing his elbows on his knees and letting his hands fall limply in front of him. His mind couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened the night before, what he had said to Lee. Why did he say it? Why did he have to go do that? It was only going to make matters worse for him. And Lee, he kicked him out, that could only mean that Lee didn’t feel the same. And then he told Lee to think about it, of course Lee wouldn’t, why would he? Richard let out a sigh, hanging his head low. He wasn’t supposed to be hurting this much. 

Then, there was a knock on his door. He threw the covers off himself, grabbing a pair of sweat pants and pulling them on, not bothering with a shirt. He opened the door, Graham greeting him with a smile. Richard however, didn’t return it, just turned away, leaving the door open for Graham to enter. 

“Well, hello to you too.” Graham sarcastically said, shutting the door behind him. “I take it things with Lee didn’t go well?” Richard only glared at him, sitting down on the double bed. “Want to talk about what happened?”

“What’s there to say? I told him I love him and he told me to leave.” 

“Leave as in ‘I never want to see you again’ or ‘just give me a little bit more time’?” Graham asked, leaning back against the wall.

“God, I don’t know!” Richard spat out, growing frustrated. 

“Okay.” Silence consumed them both for a few minutes until Graham spoke again. “Why don’t we just leave now? We can forget any of this ever happened and find some place new.” 

“I wish it was that easy. Truth is I won’t be able to just ignore this, to just forget about it. He’s my soul mate. Nothing is worse than being rejected by your soul mate.” 

“I know. But staying here will only make it worse.” 

“Just give it one more night, nothing happens, we leave first thing.” Graham nodded at him before leaving, nothing more to be said. Richard stayed sitting on the bed, staring blankly at the wall in front of him.

\---

Lee woke to a pounding head. He turned to look at the clock, seeing it was already lunch time. He groaned, shoving his face into his pillow. He tried to fall asleep again but his brain wouldn’t let him, already filling with thoughts of last night. God, he didn’t even want to think about it, especially not when he just woke up. And then, there was knocking at his door. Groaning he got out of bed, heading to the door, not caring he was in pyjama pants and a singlet. He unlocked the latch and opened the door, looking in the eyes of Peter and Ian. 

“Great.” He sighed, knowing already what this was going to be about. 

“Nice to see you too Lee.” Ian said, smiling. Lee gave him a half smile, standing to the side to let the two older men in. Lee led them to the living room, asking if they wanted anything to drink. Both said no, that they just needed to talk to him quickly. So Lee sat down across from them, allowing them to talk freely. 

“Lee, what’s going on?” Peter said, his face serious. A million things flicked through his mind, there was so much going on.

“Well, my soul mate is leaving tomorrow unless I do something about it.” He said with a shrug like it didn’t bother him when really, it bothered him a whole lot.

“Do you want him to leave?” Ian asked, tilting his head to the side. 

“No. But then I don’t know if I want to be with him.”

“Have you tried?” 

“Tried what?” 

“Being with him? Lee I know that he isn’t the best guy in the world, but it’s always worth a try. Especially if he is your soul mate.” Ian spoke with such an ease that made Lee hate him a little bit. But he was right, he’s always right. 

“Lee, I love you like a son. And I know things have been hard for you. But you haven’t allowed yourself even the slightest bit of happiness since Richard came along.” Lee knew what Peter was implying. You see, Lee’s parents died in car crash when he was very young. Peter had taken him in and raised him. Since then, Lee had never felt himself worthy of being happy because why should he be happy when his parents were taken away from him. Is that really a sign for him to be happy?

Lee smiled at both of them. “Thanks. I will think it over.” Both men nodded, standing up and walking to the door. Lee gave them both a hug before letting them out. He closed the door and lent his back against it. He slid down the wood and sat on the floor. Then he had the sudden realization. These feelings he had, the worry he felt for Richard, the hurt he felt the night before. It was love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LEE LOVES RICHARD! HE DOES! GOOD! YUP! *bows* 
> 
> Thanks again for reading! x
> 
> P.S. TWO MORE CHAPTERS TO GO!
> 
> ALSO DID I TELL YOU IM GOIGN TO BE WRITING ANOTHER RICHLEE STORY IN THIS UNIVERSE? WELL I WILL BE :3 SWEET GOOD OKAY!


	11. The Final Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things finally work out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He....................... Hehe....................... HEHEHEHE! YOU ARE ALL IN FOR A TREAT!

Lee had his hand wrapped around his chin, his left arm wrapped around his chest, pacing his living room as he thought and thought and thought. He looked to clock almost constantly, time seemed to be going so fast. It was almost 9. He let out a frustrated sigh. He knew his feelings, he knew he had fallen for this man, he knew that he couldn’t let him leave. But he just didn’t know if it was the right decision, his mind was racing with bad and good thoughts, the pros and cons of him going to Richard. “Why can’t this just be fucking simple” he muttered.

\---

Richard opened the door after three hard knocks. In front of him stood Aidan and Dean. 

“What do you two want?” Aidan and Dean looked at each other in surprise by Richards attitude, turning back to him. 

“Well, is that any way to treat your two most favorite people in the world?” Aidan said, holding a hand to his chest in fake hurt. Richard stared at him with an unamused expression. Aidan cleaned up his act, standing up straight and letting his hand fall from his chest to his side. “Guess so.” He whispered to Dean.

“What. Do. You. Two. Want.” Richard said, his patience wearing thin. 

“Well you see Graham told us what happened.” The older man seemed to understand what they were trying to do now as he slumped his shoulders, the frustration leaving him. He gave them a soft smile. “We just wanted to let you know that if you need to talk, we’re here.” Dean said, smiling brightly. Aidan mirrored the smile.

“Because you know, we are basically family. And we want to make sure you are okay.” Aidan chipped in, hands clasping together in front of him. Richard let out a small chuckle.

“Thanks guys, i just kind of want to be alone right now though.” The two man’s smiles faltered, knowing it was never a good thing to leave someone upset alone. But they understood.

“Yea okay. Just, call for us if you need us, yea?” Richard nodded, pulling both men in for a quick hug. Aidan and Dean said goodbye and Richard shut the door. Sadness washed over the man again, looking over to the clock, reading the numbers 9:18p.m. The night was nearly over and Lee had not come to him. 

\---

“If you don’t go to him, he will leave.”

“That can be a good thing and bad thing.”

“Good cause then he leaves and you can forget about it all.”

“Bad because you will never forgive yourself for it.”

Lee was talking to himself, sitting on his couch with his feet tucked under him. He turned his head to look at Carl.

“What do you think I should do?” Lee said. Carl just tilted his head, ears straightening up in confusion. Lee rolled his eyes. “I’m talking to a fucking dog.” He muttered, sighing in disbelief at himself. He stood up from the couch, walking towards the door but then turned around. 

“Should i?” He said. “Maybe I shouldn’t.” He walked back towards the couch but then stopped. “He’s going to leave tomorrow, what the fuck are you doing?” He started to mentally slap himself in the face for not being a person who can make decisions easily. 

He turned to the door once again, staring at it for a long period of time before saying “fuck it”. He swiped his coat up from a dining chair, pulling it on quickly. He walked to door, swinging it open and shutting. He pulled out his phone, texting Luke.

‘Need you to come over and take care of Carl. Don’t know when I will be home.’

It only took a few seconds for Luke to text back.

‘Okay. Good luck ;)’ 

Lee smirked at his phone before shoving it back in his pocket, of course Luke would know what he was doing. 

\---

Richard was sitting on the bed, his head in his hands, his breathing slow. With each minute his mind pounded faster, heart aching for Lee. He was still only wearing a pair of sweat pants, not caring about the cold chill of the air. He turned his head, looking outside. He started to lose hope on the fact that Lee would come. 

\---

The walk to the hotel only took 15 minutes, that being because Lee walked extremely fast with long strides. In front of the building was man whose name remembered was Jed, cleaning his motorcycle. Lee swallowed thickly, taking in a deep breath before approaching the man. Jed looked up at Lee, smirking a little bit. 

“Hello Lee.” He greeted

“Hello.” Lee replied, looking around anxiously.

“What brings you here at such an hour?”

“This may sound uh odd but wh-what room is Richard in?” Lee asked, rubbing a hand over the back of his head. Jed smiled widely at him.

“4th floor, 3rd door on your left.” Lee let out a quiet thank you and goodnight. Jed watched him go, chuckling a little bit. 

Lee didn’t exactly have the patience to call an elevator, running to the stars, taking two at a time. He was up on the fourth floor in a matter of time. He walked to the third door on his left. He let out a loud breath, making his final decision of the night. He raised his hand, his heart rate growing faster with each passing second. Then he did it, letting his fist land against the wooden door three times before letting it fall to his side. He stood anxiously, hands rubbing together. And then his head shot up at the sound of the door unlocking and he froze as it was opened. 

Richard stood there, shirtless, looking equally surprised to see Lee. Lee stared into light blue eyes, heart starting to ache, to touch the man in front of him. Ten seconds had passed before he did something he knew he couldn’t turn away from. 

Lee lunged forward, grabbing Richards face in both hands and slamming their lips together, letting out all the emotions he felt for the man in this one kiss. The force of the kiss made Richard stumble back, freezing in place in utter shock, but when he realized what was happening, when he realized that his soul mates lips were on his, he kissed back with an equal force. And then Lee was pulling back, lips pink and swollen. Green eyes were looking into blue.

“You came?” Richard choked out, trying to keep in all the emotions he was feeling. Lee nodded furiously.

“Yea, yes. I-I love you. Fuck, I love you so much.” Lee pressed their lips together again. “Please don’t leave.” He whispered against Richards lips. Richards heart broke a little bit at the pinch of hurt in Lee’s voice. 

“I won’t.” Richard replied. And then lips connected again, Richard extending his arm towards the door, latching on to it and slamming it shut. He pushed Lee up against it, a gasp leaving the younger man’s lips. Richard took advantage of his slightly open mouth, shoving his tongue inside Lee’s mouth. Lee moaned softly, wrapping his arms around Richards shoulders, slipping his own tongue into Richards mouth. Their tongues danced around each other, tasting the other as if their lives depended on it. 

Richard started shoving at Lee’s coat, pulling it off the man, letting it fall to his feet. Lee shuddered as Richards lips trailed down his jaw to his neck, softly licking at the tanned skin. Lee grabbed at the hem of his shirt, pulling away from Richard slightly so he could pull it off, throwing it to the side. Richard surged forward and latched his mouth onto Lee’s right nipple, biting and sucking at it until it was erect. Lee moaned loudly, head flung back, resting against the wall. Richard started kissing up his neck, leaving a few hickeys on the way. Lee gripped Richards hair, pulling him in for another kiss. Richard reached down, hands gripping Lee’s thighs from behind, tugging them and lifting Lee up. Lee wrapped his legs around Richards waist, forcing a growl of surprise out of the older man as he ground his ass into his crotch. 

Richard moved Lee away from the wall, carrying him towards the bed, laying him on his back. Richard pressed their lips together, kissing Lee slowly and passionately. Lee placed his hands on Richards shoulders and pushed him back, making him sit with his back leaning on the headboard. Lee stood up undoing his jeans and shoving them down with his underwear, pulling his shoes and socks off along the way. He stood in front of Richard fully naked, feeling slightly confident by the way Richard biting his lip. Lee moved forward, reaching down and tugging Richards own pants off, chucking them to the ground with his underwear. Lee groaned at the sight of Richards erect cock.

Lee placed his knees on each side of Richard, straddling him. Lee started to grind his ass down against Richard cock, his lips planting themselves on Richards, moaning into his mouth. Richard reached over to the nightstand, opening it and grabbing the complimentary moisturizer. He popped the cap open, pouring some over his fingers, moving his hand to Lee’s hole and gently pushed a finger inside him. Lee hissed at the sudden intrusion, the moisturizer not as good as lube, however, it worked either way. 

Lee started thrusting back against Richards finger, moaning wantonly. Richard pressed a second finger into Lee, scissoring him open. Lee threw his head back, panting up into the air. It wasn’t long after that Richard pushed in a third finger, watching Lee gasp and squeeze his eyes shut. Then, Lee started to talk.

“Pl-please Richard.” And god his name on Lee’s lips sounded so good. Richard pulled his fingers, pouring more moisturizer into his hand and slicking up his cock. Lee reached a hand back, gripping Richards cock, lining it up with his opening. Slowly, he sank down the shaft, taking in inch by inch, breathing harshly as he tried to adjust. Richard groaned at the tight heat wrapping around his cock, making small beads of sweat appear on his neck.

Lee was now fully seated on Richards dick, hips rolling slowly, getting used to the feel of it. Richard lent forward, wrapping his arms around Lee’s waist, sucking marks into Lee’s neck. Lee rested his arms on Richards shoulders, threading his fingers through Richards hair. Lee started lifting himself up and down, moaning at the pleasure-pain. Richard was panting into Lee’s neck, gripping his skin tightly, fighting the urge to just fuck up into Lee until the man is screaming.

And then Lee started to move fast, nail digging into Richards shoulders and neck. He lent down until his mouth was level with the older man’s ear. “F-fuck me Richard.” He moaned out and who was Richard to deny. Richard grabbed hold of Lee’s fragile hips, gripping hard as he started to slam up into the man. Lee moaned loudly, nails clawing up Richards back, leaving trails of angry red in its wake. And then they were moving, Richard pushing Lee onto his back, slapping his hands onto the bed on each side of Lee’s head. He slammed his hips into the younger man, pulling a loud shout out of Lee. 

The sound of skin against skin loud in the room, Richard pounded into Lee relentlessly, the man under him letting out all sorts of sounds leave his mouth. Lee gripped Richards biceps, thrusting up against Richard. He was close, his balls drawing up and tightening. And then Richard wrapped a hand around Lee’s cock, stroking in time with his thrusts. Lee cried out, coming all over Richards hand and his stomach. Richard groaned, resting his forehead against Lee’s shoulder as he thrusted a few more times, coming into Lee.

It took them a few moments to recollect their thoughts. And when they did, Richard kissed Lee, pulling out of him, making the younger man whimper. Richard got up, grabbing a wash cloth and cleaning them up. Then he manhandled Lee under the covers, climbing in next to him. Lee immediately cuddled up to Richard, laying an arm over Richards stomach and resting his head on his chest. Richard swung an arm around Lee’s shoulder, a hand softly stroking his hair.

Both men suddenly felt relaxed, happy to be in each others embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SMUT SMUT SMUT SMUT RICHLEE SMUT IS MY WEAKNESS!
> 
> One more chapter to go :3 I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS ONE CAUSE I MOST CERTAINLY ENJOYED WRITING IT.
> 
> Thanks for reading x

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments are greatly accepted xx


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